Aguirre tags Abad, Singson in P8.7-B road scam

Former Department of Budget and Management (DBM) secretary Florencio Abad and former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Rogelio Singson are being investigated by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for their alleged participation in the reported P8.7 billion road right-of-way (RROW) scam in General Santos City.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II yesterday said the two

Cabinet members of former President Benigno Aquino III were allegedly named by a witness reportedly now on the run because of threats to his life.

Based on the sworn affidavit of the unnamed witness, the Justice Secretary noted that “some high ranking officials of the previous administration may have potential liabilities like (Singson) who apparently approved and requested the release of payment of fake RROW claims.” He promised to present the witness next week.

Abad, who “apparently approved the release of payment for illegal RROW claims as requested by (Singson) may also face potential criminal liability,” Aguirre said.

Singson said he could not comment because “I will have to look at the documents.” Abad, on the other hand, denied the allegations.

“The accusation is baseless and therefore not true. I and the DBM were never part of the negotiations for that transaction. The DPWH will be in the best position to shed light on the issue,” he said.

Aguirre said it was not his intention to single out anyone in the investigation. “I had no participation in getting the statement except to refer (the witness) to the NBI and endorse him to the witness protection program (WPP).”

He said the witness, who is not a government employee, was reportedly involved in the P8.7 billion scam in General Santos.

Aguirre added that the witness approached him three or four months ago and showed him a sack of documents but it was only early this month when he decided to give his statement before the NBI.

The Justice Secretary has ordered that the witness be placed under provisional admission to the Justice Department’s WPP.

“Whatever the credibility (of the witness) – even if he is not credible and that he is involved (in the commission of the crime) – the fact is he has the documents. The documents do not lie,” Aguirre said.

Initial reports of the NBI showed that the syndicate submitted fake land titles in the name of non-existent persons to get claims from the DPWH for just compensation in the expropriation of land supposedly for government projects.

“The modus operandi of this syndicate is that it claims for ‘just compensation’ of RROW which are intended for rightful owners who were affected by national highway construction in General Santos,” Aguirre added.

In one of the claims, the amount reached P29 million.

The scam reportedly started in 2009, in the last few years of the Arroyo administration.

The syndicate processed more than 300 folders containing fake RROW claims.

The witness named Wilma Mamburam, Col. Chino Mamburam, Merceditas Dumlao, and financier Nelson Ti as among those allegedly involved in the scam.

Aguirre said he would recommend to the Bureau of Immigration that the four individuals be included in the immigration look-out bulletin.

Ti is reportedly a close relative of Domingo Lee, special envoy to China during the Aquino administration.

Some officials in the DPWH, Bureau of Internal Revenue, General Santos Assessors Office, Registry of Deeds, Commission on Audit, and regional trial courts might have been in cahoots with the syndicate. They reportedly participated in the processing, approval and eventual release of payments to cover the dubious claims, Aguirre said.

The NBI has to determine if these people actually signed the documents or if their signatures were forged, Aguirre added.

“The mere fact that (checks) have been en-cashed, the participation of these individuals might have been very extensive,” he said.

“Consequently, I have instructed the NBI to continue its build-up in order to further strengthen the case which most likely will include several high-ranking officials of the Aquino administration,” he added.

He discounted the possibility that the same modus may have been used in other provinces in the country, particularly in the Mindanao region.